Electric vaporizer



Nov. 14, 1933. J. ROBINSON- V ELECTRIC VAPORIZ'ER Original Filed Aug. 31, 1928 reamed. N 'v'." 14, 1933 1 PAT N OFFICE 7 1,334,887 FELECTRIO VAPORI R 1 Joseph Robinson, New York, N. Y.

I Application August 31, 1928, Serial No, 303,270

Renewed February 11,1933

The present invention relates to improvements. in vaporizers for the generation of ,fumes from volatile medicinal preparations or substances.

, It is quite desirable that such Vaporizers should be compact, neat in appearance, readily operable and easily cleaned or sanitaryf It has-therefore, been my aim to provide a construction completely answering to these qualifications and of the electrical type so as to be easily and quickly controllable both as regards the heating instrumentalities and the quantities of vapors produced from the volatile substances. J

The apparatus is primarily of the hand type, and by this I mean a device which may be readily manipulated by virtue of the use of a. handle construction as a part of the support or base,but it is .to be understood that I do not wish, to be limited in respect to this form], as the handle may be dispnsed with without in any wise affecting the functions of the device, a form without the handle being illustrated as one embodiment of such construction. In-either case the device is so formedas to be easily carried in complete assembled condition. as ,desirable for travelling, and being electrically heated preferably, it requires only the insertionof a terminal plug in a Mun/MN vaporized where so desired. However, in the main, the cheapness of the unit makes it entirely practical to throw away the container after use, this being desirable in view of the fact that refilling of the unit would likely necessitate contact of the fingers withthe medicinal substance, a disadvantage which it is desired to eliminate.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig'.. 1 is a side elevation of ca vaporizer of the handle type constructed in accordance with this invention and of actual size;

' Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the vaporizer, considerably enlarged to show more clearly the details of construction of the parts;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken about on the plane 3 3 of Fig. 2 and showing in plan the retaining lugs formed upon the cover for holding the medicament unit against accidental displacemfent; I

Fig. ,4 is a top plan view of the heater element used in conjunction with this form ofapp'aratus; 8

Fig. 5 is a perspective yiew of the niedicament" socket with a short applicationhf heat toproduce nmin r rcqpgmfi" ator in the preferred form of this device because of the provision of a swltch, and for thls reason no dimculty is experienced in aaipplylng'the tumes inthe desired heated condition to the affected parts. a

Perhaps the most important feature of the invention-resides in the use' of a novel unit or holder of-the substance to be vaporized. This 1 unit consists of what Item for the purposes of convenience, a capsule orsmall container, into which a predetermined amount of the medicinal preparation is adapted to be placed, said container being readily slipped into and out of operative relation to the heater element so as to supply only Just a suiiicient amount of vapors for an individual treatment.

It is comprehended that acertain number of these capsules or units shall'be put-up in packages, each filled with an'individual dose of the substance to be vaporized, and when heated in "use ina'manner beforementioned to be thereafter discarded. Butit-is to be understood that a receptacle may be employed which will enable a refilling of the same with the substance to be cation of the device for use in conjunction withvention, 1 designates atbase or support having a Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modified form of container;

Fig. 7 is a view partly of a modified form of va- .porizer for application to the ordinary light socket; ,and

. Fig. 8 isa similar view of still another modifi-' a lamp bulb type of heating element.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawing."

Referring to the drawing and specifically de scribing the preferred form of this-vaporizer inchamber 2 at its upper .end to receive a heating unit 3, and at-its otherend, the container 1.is formed with a handle extension 4 which isalso hollow to receive therein the socket unit to'which the'electric conductor 5 is'con'nected from a suitable source of electric current. This unit last referred to is easily assembled in the vaporizer device by virtueof the use of the metal shell or housing 6 in which the electric contacts or terminals are mounted, it being deemed unnecessary 'to specifically refer to the details of these parts other than to mention that-they include a switch member 7 with which a button 8 projecting Y through the side of the handle cooperates to enable closing of the electric circuit for the heating coil 9 mounted in the top of the heating unit 3.

The unit-3 is readily dis'placeable from the terminal socket so as to be renewed in the. event the coil or heating element becomes inoperative for one reason or another; To this end the unitis provided with protuberances' 10 formed on the metal collar 11 at the base of said unit to engage in a bayonet slot 12 formed in the shell 6 of the socket. Obviously this form of connection of the heating unit with the terminal socket may bemodified within the purview of this invention. The heating unit is furthermore provided with a foraminous cover 13 of mica, or the like, which prevents direct contact with the heating element 9 of an object disposed upon the same, said-cover .member beinglild irnplace by a flange collar 14 fixed to the top of the unit in any dsirediiianner.

Forming a part of the heating unit 3, so far as its function is concerned, there is provided an annular sleeve or holding device 15 which is snugly slipped about the top of the heatingunit,

. placement therefrom'by' the retaining device 15 just described, is a medicament container or capsule, shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 5, consisting of a shallow receptacle 16 of very thin metal or other material andincluding, insofar as the preferred form is concerned, a perforate cover member 17. This cover member may be so constructed as to tightly seat in the receptacle 1s m that form or the unit where it is desirable to prevent refilling of the same; that is to say, the medicament substance of a predetermined-quantity having been introduced into the receptacle, the cover 17, having theperforaticnsl'i therein, be so ap-, plied to the receptacle thereafter as. to prevent its ready displacement, which would necessarily involve discarding of the unit after the use-of the same in the treatment operation; However, I this cover member may be loosely seated in the receptacle where elimination of. refilling is not a desideratum. Where the cover is loosely mounted in the receptacle, its further use is possible by displacing the cover and introducing into the receptacle a quantity of the substance to be vaporized.

' As a matter of fact the cover member-may be dispensed with entirely by using an open shallow receptacle, such as shown in Fig. 6 and d 18, the edges of the receptacle being flanged inwardly to form an overhanging 11D 18' d to prevent spilling of the contents when in liquid It is to be understoodjhnt I believe I am the first to devise the idea of providing amedicament container or unit for use in conjunction with lvaporizer devices-and in which apredetermined amount'of the treating substance is included as a part of the article of manufacture, thus onabling these units to be produced and in charged condition ready 0, be slipped into place. in association with aheating element by means of which vapors from the contained substance may be produced. By-such a'narrangement' as herein referred to specified of different characters for different and cient distance to provide in predetermined quantities sufficient for an in dividual treatment may be incorporated. and herein lies the particular-advantage for this fea- .ture of my invention.

In the use of the device, as set' forth above, the capsule so-called is slippedinto position, resting upon perforate mica-covering 13 of the heating unit, the projecting flange of the retaining device 15. engaging about the 'wall of said unit, thereby preventing lateral displacement. gTo displace the unit or capsule from'this position requires only the manipulation of the support so as to "flip" the capsule from this position. It'is, therefore, not necessary to wait until the container-has cooled off to remove it from the heating element, nor is it necessary'to'touch the capsule .with the fingers to produce'the desil'ed dis placefrientii order to direct the fumes from the medicinal preparation. to the parts to be treated, there is employed a hood or nozzle member 19 mounted over, the heating element. Preferably, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2," this nozzle member is 'made to conform .to the shape of the upper part of the support 1 on which a seat is provided to receive 1 stood that the nozzle member may be provid with a threaded connection, or with a bayonet slot connection, in lieu thereof. 'These are simple 10g mechanical expedients and need not be. illustrated to show equivalent connecting means. The nozzle member is provided with the vapor outlet- 21 at the top thereof and atits base there are preferably formed oneor more openings 22 con- 11g stituting air inlets, and theseinlets, as will be observed by reference-to Fig. 2, are arranged in the 'plane ,of the-deflecting surface 1550f the holding "device 15 before referred to. Tliepurpose of this arrangement .will 'be, apparent but. it should be understood that in the operation of this device the holding ring' or member 15 becomes heated to a certain degree owing to its proximity to the heating element and, therefore, as the air is drawn inwardlyv of the openings 22 it impinges 1m upon theliated surfaceand becomes heated -it= self to a certain degree. Further than this, as the air impinges upon this rounded surface it has a, tendency to be thrown in a manner to cause the air to be readily mixed with the vapors in the 12; vapor chamber 23 of the nozzle. air, however, owing'to the arrangement of .the perforations 17' of the medicament capsule, is drawn into the receptacle and acts to lift the heated vapors from the substance in said receptacle into the chamber 23 and out of the outlet 21 when inh aled by the user of the device.

I The nozzle member 19 performs a further function in that it acts to hold the capsules 16 in posi--' tion upon the heating unit, by virtue of the provision of a series of lugs 24; upon the interior wall, which lugs'project inwardly 'sufiici'ently far to engage over the edge of the receptacle. Thus while the hood is in position upon the'hoating member it-is held against accidental lateral or 14,0 vertical displacement but the removal of the nomle member IQenables-the' capsuleto be displaced in the manner hereinbefore' described.

to a standard lamp socket. To this end the lower portion thereof is threaded, as indicated at 26; otherwise the heater unit conforms to the construction set forth in the preceding description embodying the holding means for the medicament unit. The nozzle member or hood 19a is -modified insofar as its shape is concerned only,

with reference to the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In'Fig. 8 I have" shown a further modification of this device to enable its adaptation to a different type of heating means. In this construction the heater unit consists of a standard socket plug 27having mounted thereonahigh power lamp bulb from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I, therefore, desire that these embodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described'my invention,- what I- claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An electric vaporizer comprising in-combination a heating element, 'a medicament unit removably associated with the heating'element, retaining-means of heat conductive material on said heating element and engageable with said medicament unit to prevent accidental displacement thereof, .and nozzle means engaging about said retaining means and over the medicament unit, said -nozzle mans having an air inlet arranged to direct the air currents against the retaining means so as to be heated thereby and to cause the heated air to mingle with the vapors from the medicamentcontainer.

'- 1 JOSEPH ROBINSON. 

